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Konica Auto S1.6 Split View not moving with lens focus.

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jbuch1984

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2026
Messages
5
Location
FL, USA
Format
35mm
Hey there, although I have a few years of photography experience under my belt with digital cameras, I’m just now testing the waters with film so apologies in advance for any incorrect terminology!

I recently picked up a Konica Auto S1.6 that appeared to be in great condition aside from a small dent on the upper corner exterior near the viewfinder, however, when inspecting the view finder seemed OK, but I did not think to make sure that the split view would align when changing the focus on the lens. I know, probably one of the first things I should’ve checked, however, again I am brand new to this.

The viewfinder itself is very clear, and I can see the split view without any issue, it’s surprisingly bright, but it never moves into alignment at all. After watching a few tutorials online, I was able to easily take off the top cover, and I see that all of the lenses and mirrors are where they should be but when I rotate the focus on the lens, nothing seems to shift. I’m wondering if there’s some internal linkage between the focus ring on the lens and positioning mirror that might need adjustment? I can’t find anything online describing how to fix this on this particular camera as of yet, and I’m really hoping that this is still repairable. I’m curious if anyone has dealt with this themselves and can lend me some advice or point me in the direction of a guide or video. Thanks so much!
 
Photo attached to help explain. This is top down in the viewfinder housing. If I manually press the pin circled in red it will move the mirror circled in green however focusing the lens doesn’t move the pin circled in red.
IMG_8982.jpeg
 
Problem solved! Just a few screws needed removed to lift the entire viewfinder housing out and right underneath was the culprit. The circled mechanism was gummed up, preventing it from moving with the lens focus. A little bit of isopropyl alcohol and working it back and forth freed it right up. Once the viewfinder was reinstalled, the pin moved the mirror and all is good now!
 

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Problem solved! Just a few screws needed removed to lift the entire viewfinder housing out and right underneath was the culprit. The circled mechanism was gummed up, preventing it from moving with the lens focus. A little bit of isopropyl alcohol and working it back and forth freed it right up. Once the viewfinder was reinstalled, the pin moved the mirror and all is good now!

Welcome. I'd say pulling the rangefinder on one of your first repairs and getting it fixed is a good sign of many more repairs to come!
 
Welcome. I'd say pulling the rangefinder on one of your first repairs and getting it fixed is a good sign of many more repairs to come!

Thanks for the kind words! I sure hope so, there's a beat up Nikon S3 sitting on my shelf that needs a lot of cleaning and then a Canon P to do some small adjustments on :smile:
 
Great work!

I had a Konica auto s2 - which I think is similar - where the rangefinder got sluggish, and IIRC it was a similar problem where the mirror can move, it just didn't follow the lens properly. I was able to free it a little by trying to clean it from above, but your approach of taking out the viewfinder is the right / better way.

For anyone looking at jbuch1984's pictures, it may be clear, but the two pictures are rotated 180 deg wrt each other. The plate holding the pusher pin (green arrow in the second picture) is sort of visible in the first picture, under the half-silvered mirror.
 
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